This edition written and researched by

Anthony Ham

AMAZING ROAD TRIPS38

BEST TRIPSAUSTRALIA’S

©Lonely Planet Publications Pty Ltd

MAP LEGEND

SYMBOLS IN THIS BOOK CONTENTS

% Telephone Number

h Opening Hours

p Parking

n Nonsmoking

a Air- Conditioning

i Internet Access

W Wi-Fi Access

v Vegetarian Selection

s Swimming Pool

E English- Language Menu

c Family-Friendly

# Pet-Friendly

Tips from Locals

Top Tips

Link Your Trips

Trip Detour

5 Eating

Family

History & Culture

Food & Drink

Outdoors

Essential Photo

Walking Tour

4 Sleeping

PLAN YOUR TRIP

Welcome to Australia...................... 7

Australia’s Classic Trips ................. 8

Australia’s Highlights.....................12

If You Like... ................................... 22

Need to Know ..................................24

City Guide ....................................... 26

Australia by Region ....................... 30

ON THE ROAD

NEW SOUTH WALES & THE AUSTRALIAN CAPITAL TERRITORY ......................33

1 Sydney to Byron Bay...............7–10 Days 37

2 Sydney to Melbourne ...............5–7 Days 49

3 Snowy Mountains ................2–3 Days 63

4 Canberra & the South Coast ..... 3–4 Days 73

5New England.....................5–7 Days 81

6 Outback New South Wales ....... 10–14 Days 89

Walk Track/Path

River/CreekIntermittent RiverSwamp/MangroveCanalWaterDry/Salt/Intermittent LakeGlacier

BeachCemetery(Christian)Cemetery (Other)ParkForest

Sportsground

International

Cliff

Capital (National)Capital (State)City/Large TownTown/Village

State

StepsPlaza/Mall

PedestrianOverpass

Tunnel

Walk RouteLinked TripTrip DetourTrip Route

Airport

UndergroundTrain Station

Train/Railway

Cable Car/Funicular

TransportUrban Area

Trip Stop

Tram

Trip Numbers

2

#9

Walking tour

Trip Detour

Hydrography

Areas

Boundaries

Population

Routes

Route Markers

Trips

Parking

1

LaneTertiary

TollwayFreewayPrimarySecondary

Unsealed Road

Wall

National HighwayState Route*²A5 &¬63

)̄1*²M31

Note: Not all symbols shownhere appear on the maps inthis book

2

CONTENTS

VICTORIA .........................99

7 Great Ocean Road ........................5–7 Days 103

8Mornington Peninsula ...............3–4 Days 115

9 Gippsland & Wilsons Prom ....... 6–7 days 125

a Victoria’s Goldfields ...............4–5 Days 133

b Great Alpine Road .............................7 Days 143

c Along the Murray .........................5 Days 151

QUEENSLAND ................159

d Capricorn Coast .................. 10–14 Days 163

e Southern Queensland Loop ......7 Days 175

f Brisbane’s Hinterland ............. 3–4 Days 183

g Cairns & the Daintree ...............7 Days 191

h Cape York Prelude ...................5–7 Days 199

i Outback Queensland..........7–10 Days 207

New South Wales& the AustralianCapital Territory

p33

Victoriap99

Queenslandp159

NorthernTerritory

p267

WesternAustralia

p315 SouthAustralia

p215

Tasmaniap371

3

Contents cont.

SOUTH AUSTRALIA .......215

j Adelaide Hills & the Barossa ...........3–4 Days 219

kMcLaren Vale & Kangaroo Island ........7 Days 233

l Yorke & Eyre Peninsulas ............. 5–7 Days 241

m Coonawarra & the Coorong ...........5–7 Days 251

nClare Valley & the Flinders Ranges ....7–10 Days 259

NORTHERN TERRITORY ....................267

oUluru & the Red Centre ........ 10–14 Days 271

p Alice Springs to Darwin................5–7 Days 281

q Alice Springs to Adelaide .................7 Days 291

r Darwin & Kakadu ...................5–7 Days 299

s Darwin to Daly River ...................5 Days 307

WESTERN AUSTRALIA ...315

t Across the Nullarbor ................ 5–7 Days 319

uWestern Australia’s Southwest Coast .......7 Days 331

vMargaret River Wine Region ......... 3–4 Days 339

w Coral Coast .................. 10–14 Days 351

x Kimberley Crossing ................... 14 Days 363

TASMANIA .....................371

y East Coast Tasmania ................3–5 Days 375

zHeritage Trail ..............................3 Days 385

{ Tasman Peninsula .............. 3–4 Days 395

| Tamar Valley Gourmet Trail ....... 4–5 Days 403

}West Coast Wilderness Way ......14 Days 413

DRIVING IN AUSTRALIA ..........420

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PAPUANEW

GUINEA

QUEENSLAND

NEW SOUTHWALES

VICTORIA

FridayIsland

WhitsundayIslands

Cape YorkPeninsula

WilsonsPromontory

CoralSea

TasmanSea

Gulf ofCarpentaria

BassStrait

SOUTHPACIFICOCEAN

Darling

River

Flinders River

F li n

ders

Ran

ges

Great Barrier Reef

Great Barrier Reef

Great Dividing Range

Cape York

apeOtway

CapeMelville

Barcaldine

Birdsville

Bourke

Charleville

Cloncurry

Port Douglas

Cooktown

Winton

St George

Normanton

Longreach

Devonport Launceston

Noosa

Gladstone

ChartersTowers

Queenstown

MtIsa

MaroochydoreToowoomba

Surfers Paradise

Hervey Bay

Weipa

Innisfail

Bundaberg

Dubbo

Hay Griffith

BatemansBay

Ingham

Byron Bay

GraftonCoffs HarbourArmidale

Tamworth

Bathurst

Mackay

Shepparton

Mildura

SwanHill

Cairns

Rockhampton

TownsvilleBowen

Newcastle

Horsham

BrokenHill

Geelong

Ballarat

WaggaWagga

Wollongong

PortMacquarie

Melbourne

Hobart

BRISBANE

Sydney

CANBERRA

Great Barrier ReefMarine Park

TASMANIA

1 Sydney to Byron BayThe ultimate Aussie drive takes

in surf beaches and breezy

coastal towns. 7–10 DAYS

2 Sydney to MelbourneThis coastal epic connects two

dynamic cities via a string of

beautiful towns. 5–7 DAYS

34 East Coast TasmaniaThink of Tasmania and there’s a

fair chance you’re thinking of the

storied east coast. 3–5 DAYS

13 Capricorn CoastThis brilliant road trip connects

clamorous south with reef-

fringed north. 10–14 DAYS

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SOUTHAUSTRALIA

OxleyIslandMelville

Island

KangarooIsland

INDONESIA

ThePilbara

GibsonDesert

GreatVictoriaDesert

Nullarbor Plain

LittleSandyDesert Simpson

Desert

EyrePeninsula

SharkBay

GreatAustralian Bight

SOUTHERNOCEAN

INDIANOCEAN

TimorSea

Arafura Sea

LakeEyreNorth

Lake EyreSouth

Ord River

CapeLeeuw

NorthWestCape

CapeLeveque

CapeLondonderry

CooberPedy

DalyWaters

Carnarvon

Ceduna

Yulara

Wyndham

Whyalla

Wagin

TennantCreek

Norseman

Nhulunbuy

Newman

Mt Magnet

Mataranka

Marla

Kununurra

Jabiru

HallsCreek

Fitzroy

Eucla

PortHedland

Exmouth

Derby

Katherine

Karratha

Margaret RiverAlbany

Bunbury

Geraldton

AliceSprings

Esperance

PortAugusta

Broome

Adelaide

Darwin

Perth

Kalgoorlie-Boulder

KakaduNational

Park

Uluru-Kata TjutaNational ParkWESTERN

AUSTRALIA

NORTHERNTERRITORY

01,000 km

0500 Miles

#e

24 Uluru & the Red CentreUluru, the Olgas, Kings Canyon

and the MacDonnell Ranges.

Need we say more? 10–14 DAYS

29 Across the NullaborThis epic Australian drive

crosses the country like no

other road. 5–7 DAYS

7 Great Ocean RoadThere’s no finer coastal road

trip than Victoria’s south-

western coastline. 5–7 DAYS

K

19 Adelaide Hills &the BarossaImagine yourself in southern

Germany in this distinguished

wine region. 3–4 DAYS

Crossing

AUSTRALIA’S

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UpperBlessington

Darlington

LittleSwanport

Cranbrook

Chain ofLagoons

Seymour

Akaroa

UpperScamander

Binalong Bay

Goshen

GouldsCountryWeldborough

Moorina

k

The Gardens

Fingal

Copping

Dunalley

Tomahawk

Gladstone

SouthCameron Ansons Bay

Mathinna

Avoca

Orford

Nugent

Buckland

Runnymede

SpringBeach

Sorell

Swanwick

Beaumaris

Four MileCreek

Llandaff

Scottsdale

TasmanSea

Bass Strait

SchoutenIsland

Wineglass Bay

CapeLodi

CapeTourville

CapeSonnerat

CapeMaurouard

CapeFrederickHendrick

CapePortland

WaterhousePoint

EddystonePoint

Bayof Fires

Douglas-ApsleyNationalPark

BenLomondNationalPark

FreycinetNationalPark

MountWilliamNationalPark

St Helens

Scamander

St Marys

Bicheno

ColesBaySwansea

Triabunna

MariaIsland

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*²A9

*²C832

*²C841

*²C401

*²C428

*²C305

*²A4*²B42

*²B34

*²A3

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FG36

#Hp378

#Hp379

FG38

0 30 km0 15 miles#e

‚60 kms to

The Drive » Leave the

coast behind for a time on the

19km run into St Marys, as

the roadside transitions from

coastal views to rolling farm

country and green mountains

away to the west.

3 St Marys Set back from the coast,

St Marys is an unhur-

ried little village in

the Mt Nicholas range

encircled by forests and

cattle farms. Visit for

the small-town vibes

and the craggy heights

around town, which you

can climb for memo-

rable views over the

area. The top of South

Sister (832m), towering

over German Town Rd

6km north of town, is

a 10-minute walk from

the car park. To get to St

Patricks Head (683m),

turn down Irishtown Rd,

1 St Helens On the broad, protected

sweep of Georges Bay, St

Helens has always made

the best of what it has – it

was born as a whaling

and sealing settlement

in the 1830s, it soon

learned to harvest the

local black swan popula-

tion for its feathers,

and it now makes a tidy

living as a shing town

par excellence – this is

Tasmania’s ocean- shing

capital, both for amateur

anglers and the state’s

largest shing eet – and

as a gateway town for

the east coast. Charter

boats will take you out to

where the big game sh

play – try Keen Angler

(%03-6376 3119) and Gone

Fishing Charters (%0419

353 041, 03-6376 1553; www.

bream shing.com.au). For the

nonanglers among you,

both sides of the entrance

to Georges Bay are state

reserves and are laced

with easy walking tracks.

5 p383

The Drive » The road cuts

inland to the southeast then

rejoins the coast at Dianas Beach,

whereafter the road remains

largely within sight of the sea until

arriving in Scamander, 37km after

leaving St Helens. Just short of

Scamander, take a short detour

to Shelley Point, with rock pools

and ne views.

2 Scamander You wouldn’t cross the

state to see Scamander,

but its beaches – beau-

tiful, long white-sand

beaches where the surf

rolls in and you feel like

you can wander forever

– are another matter

altogether. There’s

reliable surf around Four

Mile Creek, while sher-

folk can toss in a line

for bream from the old

bridge over the Scaman-

der River, or catch trout

further upstream. If your

reason for being here is

more about the end prod-

uct, Iron House Brewery

(%0409 308 824, 03-6372

2228; www.ironhouse.com.

au; 21554 Tasman Hwy, White

Sands Estate, Four Mile Creek;

tastings $5, refundable with

purchase; h11.30am-7.30pm,

reduced winter hours), 16km

south of Scamander, is

a craft brewery produc-

ing avoursome pale ale,

lager, wheat beer, stout,

pilsner and porter.

{ Tasman Peninsula

From where our

classic East Coast Tasmania

trip ends its mainland

section, at Triabunna, it’s

just 57km southwest to

Sorell (Stop 3 on Trip 36).

}West Coast Wilderness Way

Trip 38 begins in Strahan

and ends in Launceston,

655km later. Launceston is

163km from St Helens along

the Tasman Hwy.

LLLIINNNNKKK YYYOOOUUURRR TTTRRRRIIPPP

34East Coast Tasmania

This journey from St Helens to Maria Island takes in two of Tasmania’s most

stirring natural attractions – perfectly formed Wineglass Bay (arguably

Tasmania’s most famous image) and wildlife-rich Maria Island. A detour to

the peerless Bay of Fires, fi ne beaches at Scamander, impressive landforms

at Bicheno and St Marys, and a slew of wineries further south all add up to

Tasmania at its best.

TASMAN

IA 34

EAST COAST TASMAN

IA

377

376

series of gorges and gaps in the West MacDonnell Ranges. Ellery Creek Big Hole is 51km after you take the turn-off .

7 Ellery Creek Big Hole Ellery Creek Big Hole is one of those fabulous outback miracles – a steep-sided rocky water-hole with a small, white-sand beach and hues of Red Centre red, deep waterhole blue and euca-lyptus green. The large permanent waterhole is a popular place for a swim on a hot day (the water is usually freezing): there are no crocs lurking in the shallows... The Drive » About 11km further, a rough gravel track leads to narrow, ochre-red Serpentine Gorge, which has a lovely waterhole, a lookout and ancient cycads. The Ochre Pits line a dry creek bed 11km west of Serpentine and were a source of pigment for Aboriginal people. Ormiston Gorge is 25km beyond the Ochre Pits.

8 Ormiston Gorge Majestic Ormiston Gorge is the most impressive chasm in the West Mac-Donnells. There’s a water-hole shaded with ghost gums, and the gorge curls around to the enclosed Ormiston Pound. It is a haven for wildlife and you can expect to see some critters among the spinifex slopes and mulga woodland. There are

TRIP HIGHLIGHT

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LURU

& TH

E RED CENTRE

277

276

WHY THIS IS A CLASSIC TRIPANTHONY HAM, AUTHORBy the end of this trip you’ll have experienced the magic of the outback through its most enduring symbols: Uluru, Kata Tjuta, Kings Canyon and a town called Alice. It’s a well-worn trail and one that it’s hard not to love, especially if, like me, you nd yourself enchanted by desert silences and yearn for its long empty roads.

Top: Kata Tjuta (the Olgas) Left: Young Indigenous boy nurses a joey (baby kangaroo)Right: Kings Canyon

MILT

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©

Barossa Valley Fine wines, blue skies and rolling hills

#

3–4 DAYS148KM / 92 MILES

GREAT FOR…

B

BEST TIME TO GOOctober to April, but festivals are worth visiting at other times.

I ESSENTIAL PHOTO

Don’t miss Hahndorf, looking for all the world like Germany.

K BEST FOR WINE

Tanunda lies in the heart of Barossa Wine Country.

Adelaide Hills & the Barossa

The Barossa is like a quaint European world of historic villages settled comfortably in the pretty valleys lined with vineyards. It’s hard to believe Adelaide is just over the hills.

19

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Athelstone

TanundaClassic Barossa town with classic Barossa wines

148 km

HahndorfBeautiful Germanic village high in the Adelaide Hills

25 km

Lobethal Come for the spectacular Christmas lights

44 km

NuriootpaVisit the iconic Penfolds winery

139 km

Birdwood

Eden Valley

MountPleasant

Bridgewater

Adelaide

##3

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TRIP HIGHLIGHTS

219

Look out for the Classic Trips stamp on our favourite routes in this book.

1 Sydney to Byron Bay...............7–10 Days 37

2 Sydney to Melbourne ...............5–7 Days 49

7 Great Ocean Road ........................5–7 Days 103

d Capricorn Coast .................. 10–14 Days 163

j Adelaide Hills & the Barossa ...........3–4 Days 219

oUluru & the Red Centre ........ 10–14 Days 271

t Across the Nullarbor ................ 5–7 Days 319

y East Coast Tasmania ................3–5 Days 375

5

OUR WRITER

ANTHONY HAMAnthony (www.anthonyham.com) was born in Melbourne, grew up in Sydney and spent much of his adult life travelling the world. He recently returned to Australia after ten years living in Madrid and brings to this guide more than fifteen years’ experience as a travel writer. As a recently returned expat, Anthony is loving the opportunity to rediscover his country and indulge his passion for the wilderness. He brings to the book the unique

perspective of knowing the land intimately and yet seeing it anew as if through the eyes of an outsider.

My Favourite Trip x Kimberley Crossing for the soulful and dramatic desert scenery, and the solitude of this beguiling corner of the country.

©Lonely Planet Publications Pty Ltd

Although the authors and Lonely Planet have taken all reason-able care in preparing this book, we make no warranty about the accuracy or completeness of its content and, to the maxi-mum extent permitted, disclaim all liability arising from its use.

Published by Lonely Planet Publications Pty LtdABN 36 005 607 9831st edition – Nov 2015ISBN 978 1 74360 517 2© Lonely Planet 2015 Photographs © as indicated 201510 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1Printed in ChinaAll rights reserved. No part of this publication may be copied, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form by any means, electronic, mechanical, recording or otherwise, except brief extracts for the purpose of review, and no part of this publication may be sold or hired, without the written permission of the publisher. Lonely Planet and the Lonely Planet logo are trademarks of Lonely Planet and are registered in the US Patent and Trademark Office and in other countries. Lonely Planet does not allow its name or logo to be appropriated by commercial establishments, such as retailers, restaurants or hotels. Please let us know of any misuses: lonelyplanet.com/ip.

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